New Silicon Valley venture capital firm Luminari Capital obtained a USD8 million funding from pay-TV giant British Sky Broadcasting Group. Sky said that it wants to increase is exposure to US tech startups.
Investors
Private equity, hedge fund firms seizes opportunities on crumbling infrastructure
Private equity and hedge fund firms had set their sights on placing bets in infrastructure projects, stalled government transportation projects like railways and ports in particular.
AUW head approves potential sale of GrainCorp
Australian Workers Union head Paul Howes said the need for Australia to have a fresh injection of capital was more important than considering the sentiments of union workers at GrainCorp regarding the sale of the company to US-based Archer Daniels Midland.
Irish Davy Group acquires Prescient for EUR2 billion
Ireland's largest stockbroker Davy Group bought rival Prescient Asset Management Holdings Ltd. for EUR2 billion. This is Davy's second raid against competitors after it acquired a stake in Bloxham Stockbrokers last year.
Temasek exits stake in Facebook, Monsanto and Air Products & Chemicals
Singaporean investment firm Temasek divested its holdings in US-listed companies Facebook, Monsanto and Air Products & Chemicals. The private equity firm, however, remains focused on energy, healthcare and technology stocks in the US.
Latest News
The CDC Group, the development finance institution of the UK government, will be pouring more investments in India despite the sluggish economy, delayed reforms and a competitive private equity market.
Former US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be joining global private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC in March. Geithner became notable for his role during the US financial crisis.
William Littlewood, the hedge fund manager of Artemis Strategic Assets Fund, has taken a short position on Japanese government bonds, according to a column written by Mark Dampier on The Independent.
Bermuda-based life insurer Wilton Re Holdings is scouting for investment banks to advise it on its possible sale or initial public offering next year. Wilton Re has received a total fund of USD1.5 billion from private equity firms.
Chinese institutional investors' outbound investment in real estate will continue to increase next year as buying opportunities emerge in the United States and Europe and international financial institutions dispose of their property assets.
Investors remain inclined to take markets higher in the absence of anything that would suggest equities should fall. The market seems to have hit a stage where strong data helps and weak data affirms the Fed's intentions to keep policy accommodative, which also helps stocks.
Giorgio Olivato, vice chairman of a foundation that is Monte Paschi's largest shareholder, has resigned from office for unknown reasons. Sources, however, said that Olivato opposed the foundation's plan to sell its stake in the Italian bank.
American tire company Cooper Tires & Rubber Co. seeks to obtain a Supreme Court ruling forcing India's Apollo Tyres to complete the merger. The USD2.3 billion deal would make Apollo the seventh-biggest tire maker in the world.
Keith Teare, the founder of just.me, told TechCrunch that he is interested in purchasing the assets of the mobile messaging platform which would be selling its five assets separately.
